T. Gorton

Mr. GORTON

Mr. GORTON. For the information of all Senators, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 10:30 a.m. tomorrow. Following morning business, the Senate is expected to resume the H-1B bill. Under a previous agreement, at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday there will be 7 hours of debate on the continuing resolution with a vote to occur on the use or yielding back of time. As a reminder, cloture motions were filed today on the H-1B visa bill; therefore, cloture votes will occur later this week.

Mr. GORTON

Mr. GORTON. If there is no further business to come before the Senate, I now ask unanimous consent the Senate stand in recess under the previous order.

Mr. GORTON

Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it recess until the hour of 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 27. I further ask unanimous consent that on Wednesday, immediately following the prayer, the Journal of proceedings be deemed approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and the Senate then begin a period for morning business until 10:30 a.m., with Senators permitted to speak for 5 minutes each with the following exceptions: Senator Murkowski, 20 minutes; Senator Robb, 5 minutes; Senator Harkin, 10 minutes; Senator Leahy, 15 minutes; Senator Thomas or his designee, 10 minutes.

Mr. GORTON

Mr. GORTON. Madam President, I regret I was unable to vote on the final passage of the Water Resources Development Act, S. 2796. Had I been present, I would have voted in favor of this legislation. The bill contains authorizations for several important projects for Washington State. I would like to thank the chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Senator Bob Smith, and the chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Senator George Voinovich, for their assistance in addressing the water resource needs of the Pacific Northwest. I'd like to highlight four projects critical to my constituents. The bill provides authorization for the Puget Sound Ecosystem Restoration Project, an environmental restoration program designed to improve habitat for four threatened anadromous fish species in the Puget Sound basin. The Corps of Engineers, contingent on available appropriations, will be authorized to spend $20 million in cooperation with local governments, tribes, and restoration groups to make existing Corps projects more salmon-friendly and enhance critical stream habitat. WRDA 2000 also includes an authorization for the Corps of Engineers to study and construct an erosion control project for the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe. The Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe, located on a 335- acre reservation in southwest Washington, has experienced dramatic erosion events for the past several winters. During the 1998-1999 winter storms alone, the tribe lost several hundred feet of shoreline. These events have been particularly damaging to this small tribe of 245 people, most of whom depend on the tribe's shellfish resource along the 700 acres of tidelands. Another provision will assist the communities along the Columbia, Cowlitz, and Toutle rivers. During the early 1980s after the eruption on Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980, the Corps of Engineers engaged in a series of emergency and congressionally authorized projects to stop or control the flow of sediment from Mount St. Helens into the Toutle, Cowlitz, and Columbia rivers. Since the major Northwest Washington flood of 1996, which severely impacted the communities surrounding these three rivers, the Corps of Engineers and county governments in Southwest Washington have engaged in discussions over the level of flood protection to be maintained for the Mount St. Helens Sediment Control Project. The WRDA bill clarifies the Corps' responsibility to maintain this project and provides certainty for the communities in the future. Finally, the bill includes authorization for the Corps to accept funding from non-federal public entities to improve and enhance the regulatory activities of the Corps of Engineers. Since the listing of the four Puget Sound salmon species last year, the Seattle office of the Corps of Engineers has been inundated with permits that requires additional consultation order the Endangered Species Act. Unfortunately, this additional responsibility requires additional staff and resources to occur in a timely manner. At the beginning of this year, the Seattle regulatory office had a backlog of 300 permit applications. Today that backlog has grown to nearly 1,000. This provision will provide the Corps the additional resources it needs to comply with the Endangered Species Act. Once again, I would like to thank the members of the Environment and Public Works Committee for their assistance in providing authorization for projects important to the residents of Washington state. I am pleased the Senate passed this legislation today.

Mr. GORTON

Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, for the past eight years, the responsibility to extend annual trade status to the People's Republic of China, PRC, has been shouldered entirely by the U.S. House of Representatives. Even though the United States Senate has eluded the duty of debating and deciding upon this significant issue, not one year has gone by when the subject matter hasn't weighed heavily on my mind. If one year ago you had questioned any number of business or trade entities in Washington state my position on the prospect of extending Permanent Normal Trade Relations, PNTR, to China, I can almost guarantee you would have received a non-committal response. For years I have questioned China's commitment to free trade with the United States, and have been critical of the notion that the U.S. continue a relationship of ``engagement'' with the PRC. Couple these concerns with allegations of espionage, nuclear non-proliferation, questionable campaign contributions and influence, human rights abuses, persecution of religious freedom, and the treatment of the one true Chinese democracy, Taiwan, and one might challenge the notion that China receive such significant trading status from the United States. Mr. President, these issues have played a significant role in my criticism of our relationship with China, and therefore maintained an elevated status as I reviewed the prospect of voting on PNTR. When I made my final decision regarding China's trade status, the mere simplicity of the issue suggested a rationale and consideration based solely on trade ramifications and WTO accession procedures alone. China's accession to the World Trade Organization is forthcoming, it's a fact, it's a reality, and it will happen. If the United States does not grant PNTR to China, the PRC will gain its ambitiously sought seat in the WTO, and the United States will lose all the benefits of trade with the more than 1.2 billion inhabitants of China. If Congress does not pass PNTR, the U.S-China trade deal that was 14 years in the making will be considered null and void, and every other member of the World Trade Organization will have access to the world's third largest economy. The potential loss of trade to the United States, and to the State of Washington, is too significant to ignore. If the simplicity of the PRC's accession to the WTO was not enough to force me to reconsider my stance on trade with China, the details of the bilateral U.S.-China trade agreement helped secure my final decision to support PNTR. While I have long been critical of the Clinton-Gore Administration's policy with respect to China, the agreement brokered and finalized by U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky is uncomparable. By granting PNTR to China, the U.S. stands to benefit from a wide array of trade issues. While the United States retains our valuable trading leverage in the bilateral agreement and will gain access to a once heavily guarded market, China is forced to amend its market strategy and alter its trading exercises in favor of practices that embrace free market principles. When and if China alters its trading practices, it's clear the U.S. has everything to gain. When formulating my decision to support PNTR, it was necessary that I review and concur with those terms stated in the bilateral agreement. If the terms were ever called into question by U.S. industry, manufacturers, agriculture, the service sector, or the high tech industry, I would seriously reconsider my position. However, not one of the aforementioned industries in the State of Washington outlined an objection to trade with China. According to the World Bank, China will have to expand infrastructure by $750 billion in the next 10 years. Washington companies like Boeing, Paacar, and Mircosoft are prepared to fill their needs. Service sector companies like Eddie Bauer, Starbucks, and Nordstrom will step up to fill consumer demands. Not to mention, agriculture can finally attempt to penetrate the Chinese market that has for so long eluded our commodities. From the lush orchards of Central Washington to the rolling wheat fields of the Palouse, agriculture in Washington state is prepared and stands ready to benefit from the access to the 1.2 billion consumers in China. While it was fascinating to me that so many varying industries and retail companies support PNTR and trade with China, the mere numbers and degree of tariff reduction contained in the bilateral agreement persuaded me most. For example, the U.S. agriculture products that once faced enormous trade barriers and sanitary and phytosanitary restrictions, will receive a reduction of tariffs on average from 31.5 percent to 14.5 percent. Access for bulk commodities will be expanded, and for the first time ever China will permit agriculture trade between private parties. What does this mean for Washington state agriculture? For the first time in over 20 years, China has finally agreed to lift the ominous and ridiculous phytosanitary trade barrier Washington wheat growers have learned to hate--TCK smut. As a result of this trade agreement, Chinese officials traveled to Washington state this spring and secured a tender for 50,000 metric tons of Pacific Northwest wheat. While this purchase is nominal, and represents a figure that I will press to increase, the elimination of export subsidies on wheat has already enhanced the expansion of markets wheat growers desire. For some of our most precious and high value commodities such as apples and pears, tariffs will be reduced from 30 percent to 10 percent. Frozen hash browns, the pride of the Columbia Basin, will receive tariff reductions from 25 percent to 13 percent. Tariffs on cheese will plummet by 38 percent; grapes by 27 percent; cherries and peaches by 20 percent; potato chips by 10 percent; and beef by 33 percent. All of these commodities represent a significant portion of the Washington state agriculture industry, and at a time when new markets are difficult to come by, news of China's tariff reduction promises resulted in waves of support for PNTR by farmers. Washington state agriculture is not the only sector to gain access to China's market. As a matter of fact in 1998, direct exports from Washington to China totaled $3.6 billion, more than double the exports in 1996. Of that figure, 91 percent represented transportation equipment, namely aircraft and aircraft parts. The Boeing Company maintains 67 percent of China's market for commercial aircraft. Boeing anticipates that over the next 20 years, nearly one million jobs will be related to Boeing sales to China. Over the next 10 years, China is expected to purchase 700 airplanes worth $45 billion. Recognizing Boeing's significant contribution to the Puget Sound region and the State of Washington, it's no wonder one of the major labor unions that builds these airplanes supports PNTR. So many people automatically equate transportation jobs directly with Boeing, but the aerospace and commercial airline industry is also supported by thousands of additional employees that contract and subcontract with the nation's only airline supplier. These contractors in Washington and all across the nation also stand to benefit from trade with China. While the agriculture and manufacturing industries in Washington stand to gain, the high-tech, service sector and forest product industries also will benefit from liberalized market access. China has agreed to zero tariffs on computers and equipment, telecommunications equipment, and information technology. Tariffs on wood will decrease 7 percent, and paper by 17 percent. In addition, fish products tariffs will drop by 10 percent. Washington's geographic proximity to China automatically benefits the service sector, the ports, and transportation infrastructure. Banking, securities, insurance, travel, tourism, and professional services such as accounting, engineering, and medical needs will all gain access to China's market. Knowing the ambitious and adventurous nature of many Washingtonians in these fields, I can imagine many State of Washington subsidiaries could find a home in China. While all these tariff reductions and trade liberalization efforts look good on paper, there are also several mechanisms built into the bilateral agreement to address trade and import concerns. Two of the most significant items negotiated by the United States were the import surge mechanism and the anti-dumping provisions. Both these provisions were considered ``deal breakers'' by American negotiators. Had they not been included, the U.S. would have walked away from the negotiating table. The import surge mechanism will remain in place for 12 years following China's accession to the WTO, and can be used in response to potential import disruptions by China. The anti-dumping provision will remain for 15 years and will be used by the U.S. should an influx of Chinese products flood our market. The efficacy of the anti-dumping mechanism is evidenced by the case the U.S. apple industry filed and won against China. Citing an excessive increase of apple juice concentrate, the U.S. industry filed an anti-dumping case with the International Trade Commission, ITC, just last year. After the U.S. Department of Commerce and the ITC agreed that the U.S. industry had been harmed, the price for juice apples in the U.S. increased from $10 per ton back to the normal $130 per ton. This case was significant as it exemplified the United States' ability to appropriately deal with Chinese dumping practices, and it concluded that the U.S. has an appropriate and workable mechanism to address the issue of import surges. While the aforementioned specifics about the bilateral trade agreement speak volumes to our trade dependent friends at home in Washington, when all is said and done, when all the tariffs are reduced and markets are liberalized, major questions will still remain. Will China become the trading partner that the U.S. hopes and desires? Will the PRC adhere to those details so cautiously and ambitiously sought? Will the U.S. market benefit from the buying power of China's 1.2 billion consumers? While I might not remain as optimistic about trade with China as some of my counterparts or those in the U.S. trade industry, one fact will remain constant. With the passage of PNTR and China's eventual accession to the World Trade Organization, leaders in Beijing will have to begin complying by international trade rules and restrictions or face the wrath of its new trading partners. These partners will include the United States and all of our allies. Of the other questions that still remain regarding human rights, religious freedom, non-proliferation, allegations of espionage, and the treatment of Taiwan, one can only hope that the eventual promises and attractiveness of democracy and free market principles will be embraced by those who encounter it for the first time. One hopes that eventually, Falun Gong practitioners will be able to practice their faith in public. One hopes that eventually the weight of internationalism, globalization and trade will move Beijing away from theories and military practices that could bring harm to their trading partners. One hopes that eventually workers will perform in a less oppressive regime. One hopes that China will one day accept Taiwan as an independent nation. One hopes. Because I have remained vigilant about my criticism of China, I endure to continue my close watch over United States interests and national security. Because I unconditionally support Taiwan and that country's efforts to embrace freedom and democracy, I will forevermore remain their champion. While I believe that democracy will eventually reign true, I will continue to raise concerns regarding human rights, religious freedom, and the United States relationship with China on all fronts. I will vote for PNTR not because I am comfortable with the thought that China will adhere to all the details in the bilateral agreement, or the prospect that they will become exceptional trading partners overnight, but I support the men and women from the most trade dependent state in the nation who have urged its successful passage. Whatever the course of our relationship with China takes over the coming years, I assure Washingtonians that I will be scrutinizing the reactions of Beijing very closely. I will continue to engage in a dialogue with all interested parties to ensure that Washington benefits from these new trade practices. I will work to ensure that American interests and national security weigh heavy on the minds of our negotiators and the next Administration. Because this vote is unmistakably one of the most significant trade votes the Senate has cast in recent years, I assure my constituents that I will keep their interests at heart. Whatever it takes.

Mr. GORTON

Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate a remarkable young woman who hails from the great state of Washington and just recently struck gold at the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. On Monday, Megan Quann, a junior at Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup, won the gold medal in the 100-meter breaststroke. Megan rallied from third place to win in a time of 1:07.05, setting a new American record. Practicing every morning at 4:30 a.m. and swimming over 11 miles a day in preparation for the Olympics, Megan is a truly dedicated and inspiring athlete. I have learned that the City of Puyallup is already in the planning stages of welcoming their Olympic champion home with keys to the city and a plan to set aside a day on the calendar as ``Megan Quann Day.'' Later this week, Megan will compete again as part of the women's medley relay and will have another shot at bringing home the gold. I wish Megan luck in her next race and ask that the Senate join me in congratulating her for what she has achieved.

Mr. GORTON

Mr. GORTON. Madam President, I join Senator McCain today as an original cosponsor of the Motor Vehicle Equipment Defect Notification Improvement Act. This measure, aimed at increasing consumer protections, is a great first step in addressing current statutory shortfalls. The controversy surrounding the ongoing Ford/Firestone recall brought to light several deficiencies regarding the processes that are in place currently. A combination of increasing penalties, upgrading standards, and requiring more stringent disclosure should afford consumers the protections they deserve. Let me assure my colleagues that this is a work in progress. I look forward to receiving input from all interested parties as I work with Senator McCain to ensure that we learn from our mistakes and move forward to strengthen the safeguards that protect public safety.

Mr. GORTON

Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, on Wednesday, the Senate voted on several amendments to the bill establishing permanent normal trade relations status for the People's Republic of China. While I was unfortunately unable to cast my votes regarding these amendments, I was able to comment on a few of them. Today I wish to comment on the remaining amendments. Two of the amendments argued were introduced by our colleague from North Carolina. I supported the first amendment offered by Senator Helms, regarding family planning, abortion, and sterilization practices in China. Although the amendment failed by ten votes, I am pleased the Senate made a strong statement regarding these abhorrent practices. While I agreed with Senator Helms on his first amendment, I did not agree with him on his second measure. American industries have set the standard for appropriate business practice, and even though I agree with Senator Helms that they ought to utilize these practices in China, I do not believe another layer of bureaucracy is necessary to accomplish this mission. I would also have voted against Senator Feingold's amendment regarding the Congressional-Executive Commission established in H.R. 4444. I believe the parameters with which the Commission was established in the House of Representatives are adequate, and that additional requests or requirements from its members are not imperative. Finally, the Senate considered an amendment offered by Senator Wellstone. Without question, the issues surrounding political prisoners and detainees who have attempted to organize should be addressed by the People's Republic of China. However, I believe the administration already has the tools necessary to address these very concerns. I would not have voted for Senator Wellstone's amendment.

Mr. GORTON

Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, I rise to recognize General Robert S. Frix, an outstanding individual from my State, who is the recipient of the Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. This award is bestowed upon a select group of Eagle Scouts who are chosen by a national review board as distinguished individuals who, by sharing their talents and time with others, have improved their communities. General Frix clearly deserves this rare honor for his service to our country, his profession and community. Our country owes a great debt of gratitude to General Frix for his decorated military service and accomplishments. A West Point graduate, he served our country for 34 years, earning the rank of Major General and numerous decorations including two Distinguished Service Medals, 26 Air Medals, and two Meritorious Service Medals. Through two tours each in Vietnam and Germany, he distinguished himself as a leader, but his duty in the Middle East is most notable. As Chief of Staff and Deputy Commanding General of U.S. Army Forces Central Command during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, he was instrumental in rescuing Kuwait from Saddam Hussein's siege. Commanding the Joint Task Force Kuwait, he led the enforcement of U.N. Resolution 688. Following his military service, General Frix turned to a different kind of battle, that of decommissioning, cleaning-up, and restoring U.S. Department of Energy former nuclear weapons fabrication and materials production sites. Formerly at the Rocky Flats, Colorado site and currently at the Hanford site in my state of Washington, he manages personnel and multimillion dollar budgets in order to accomplish the clean-up and disposal of highly radioactive, toxic and hazardous materials. At the helm of the DynCorp company, he and his employees have achieved an outstanding environmental safety record. All the while, General Frix uses his talents for the benefit of others and remains committed to serving his community as the national president of the Army Aviation Association of America Scholarship Foundation and as a lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans. In addition, he has used his military management skills to retire council debts and raise almost $10 million in endowment as a member of the Blue Mountain Council Executive Board and Senior Vice President of Finance. General Frix willingness to help his community extends into his professional career in which he and his colleagues at DynCorp have worked side by side to construct park facilities and renovate a local cancer treatment facility. He is highly regarded by business associates as a community leader who sets an example for others to follow.

Mr. GORTON

Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, the real estate investment trust, or REIT, turned 40 years old yesterday. It has been a remarkable four decades for this investment vehicle. The goal of Congress in creating REITs back in 1960 was to give the small investor an opportunity to invest in portfolios of large-scale, commercial properties. Today, anyone and everyone can buy shares of real estate operating companies that focus on particular sectors or regions of the country. In January, the REIT Modernization Act will take effect. Adopted by Congress last year, this law will permit REITs to remain competitive in the real estate marketplace by creating subsidiaries to offer the same range of tenant services provided by its competitors. And, as the REIT marks its 40th anniversary, so too does its association, NAREIT, the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts. NAREIT's annual convention will be held here in Washington, DC next month, and we wish them well on another successful event.

Mr. GORTON

Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, today the Senate voted on several amendments to the bill establishing permanent normal trade relations status for the People's Republic of China. Regrettably, I was unable to register my votes on these amendments. Following are my thoughts regarding a few. With respect to the amendment offered by Senator Byrd regarding potential import surges from China, I must state my opposition. While the Senator from West Virginia deserves credit in his effort to protect the American worker, the anti-dumping and surge protection mechanisms contained in the bilateral agreement brokered between the U.S. and China were crafted to address this very issue. Recognizing these two issues were considered ``deal breakers'' by U.S. trade interests, I have every reason to believe his concerns have been addressed. I must also state my opposition to Senator Bob Smith's amendment regarding the harvesting and transplanting of human organs. Without question, the issue of human rights and the treatment of Chinese citizens should be of upmost concern to every American. I believe the human rights provisions agreed to in H.R. 4444 were established to conquer and address such atrocities. In particular, I would have also supported the effort to table the amendment offered by Senator Thompson. I have for quite some time, to the knowledge of my constituency in Washington and my colleagues here in the Senate, criticized the Clinton-Gore administration's approach to non-proliferation issues with China. However, I do not believe that Congress, by creating an entirely new sanctions policy or by establishing an additional layer of export controls, can effectively address these concerns nor strengthen U.S. national security. We must approach these measures with caution, we will approach them with a new administration, and we must recognize that when we confront China about these terribly significant issues, we will be approaching them as a trading ``partner''. If in the coming years China does not appropriately address the issues of non-proliferation, I assure my colleagues that I will be the first to raise concern.

Mr. GORTON

Mr. GORTON. As would I, Mr. President.

Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, I thank the chairman. I appreciate his interest in this matter and his willingness to consider legislative remedies, should they become necessary. I only want to make clear for the record that if administrative remedies are insufficient to protect the rights and benefits of BPA employees should they move into a new regional transmission organization, then any legislative remedy that might be proposed will be developed in full consultation with other stakeholders in the region and other participants in the RTO. Since any legislation that may be developed may very well be carried as an administrative provision in this bill, I wanted to be sure the manager knew that this is my intent.

Mr. GORTON. I concur, Mr. President.

Mr. GORTON. I too, am committed to prompt enactment of such legislation, if needed. I think it is crucial that Congress facilitate, rather than impede or delay, the formation of a regional transmission organization for the Northwest.

Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, I move to reconsider the vote.

Mr. GORTON

Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the amendment be agreed to.

Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute be agreed to, as amended. The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, as amended, was agreed to.

Mr. GORTON. Impelled by an explosion last year in Bellingham, WA, that took three young lives and shook that community to its core, and given force by another recent tragedy in New Mexico, the Senate today is adopting the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2000. The bill brings much-needed reforms to the regulation and oversight of the pipelines that wind invisibly beneath our homes, parks, and schools, most notably by providing more information to local governments and to the public about the location and condition of pipelines and pipeline accidents; by requiring more accountability from the Federal Office of Pipeline Safety and by authorizing more funding for that Office and for States willing to assume additional oversight responsibility; by requiring operators to assess the risks to their lines and develop plans to address threats to their integrity; by giving willing States a clearer and larger role in the oversight of interstate pipelines; by directing additional attention and resources to research and development programs to improve pipeline integrity; by increasing civil penalties for violations of pipeline safety standards; and by requiring Federal attention to recommendations for improvements to pipeline safety by state citizen advisory committees. The issue of citizens advisory committees has, to my surprise, been one of the most contentious. The idea of creating an independent oversight body that is not controlled by industry, and that can objectively assess the state of pipeline safety and make recommendations for improvements to Federal and State regulators, is to me perfectly sensible. The passion with which industry has opposed even a pilot program for Federal citizen advisory committees has, I confess, disturbed me and strengthened my determination to see that citizen advisory committees are established and adequately funded. While it has become clear to me that a Federal advisory committee will not be part of any legislation that can be enacted this year--and I am absolutely determined to see that legislation is enacted--I am committed to seeing that Washington State receives adequate funding for its own Citizens Committee on Pipeline Safety, whose members were recently appointed, but which I understand has been allocated only enough funds to pay for a meeting room four times a year, hardly the resources needed to meet the responsibility this committee has been assigned. I will work through the appropriations process this year to see that not only is funding increased for all Federal and State pipeline safety activities, but that in addition to the $800,000 I am trying to direct for Washington State's new responsibilities in overseeing pipeline safety, Washington obtains sufficient funding to staff and pay for the activities of the Citizens Committee on Pipeline Safety. The issue of citizen advisory committees has not been the only contentious issue in this bill. Getting here has not been easy, and were it not for the efforts and dogged perseverance of Members of both sides of the aisle, most notably Senator McCain, and my colleague from Washington, Senator Murray, we would not be here today. I am deeply grateful for their work. Another person who has made this happen, and for whom I have developed a true respect, is Mark Asmundson, the Mayor of Bellingham, WA. Following the explosion on June 10, 1999, and with a commitment born, I believe, of justifiable anger, Mark has devoted himself to improving pipeline safety at the local, State, and Federal levels. It is people like Mark, who is committed to public welfare, passionate, practical, and resolutely good humored, and the many others who responded to the tragedy in Bellingham by taking action not only to improve their own safety, but the safety of people throughout this country, who constantly remind me how privileged I am to represent the people of Washington State. Since the Commerce Committee passed S. 2438 in June of this year, following a factfinding hearing in Bellingham in March, I have been working to secure passage of this bill by unanimous consent as an extended debate this late in the year is impossible. The manager's amendment that was adopted today resolves concerns raised by some of my colleagues in a way that I think is fair, and, unlike some of the amendments offered and defeated in committee in a way that does not undermine the benefits of this bill. S. 2438, as amended, is a marked improvement to the status quo. it requires the Office of Pipeline Safety to implement the recommendations of the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation by completing rulemakings that are long overdue, collecting better information to determine the causes of pipeline accidents, and providing better training to OPS inspectors. S. 2438 accelerates the deadline for operators to prepare plans for training and qualifying their employees. The bill imposes on operators of pipelines of any length, not just longer pipelines as suggested by the administration, an obligation to conduct risk analyses and adopt integrity management plans for high consequence areas--plans that provide for periodic inspections of pipelines. It requires that information about pipeline incidents and safety-related conditions be made available to the public and lowers the threshold for reporting spills from the current 2100 gallons, to 5 gallons. To give local officials a greater role in protecting their communities, the bill requires operators to work with local communities to educate them about the location and risks of pipelines and what to do in case of an accident. The bill increases fines for violations and protection for whistleblowers who report unsafe conditions. S. 2438 explicitly provides a role for States in the oversight of interstate pipelines and gives the Federal Office of Pipeline Safety the authority it needs to carry out the recent agreement with Washington State which will enable Washington to hire more investigators and take an active role in the oversight of interstate pipelines. The bill provides not only more funding for the Office of Pipeline Safety and direction on areas of research and development to focus on improved safety, but also incorporates the recommendation of Senators Bingaman and Domenici to create a new cooperative research and development program for pipeline integrity that combines the resources of the Departments of Transportation and Energy under the auspices of the National Science Foundation. The bill, in sum, while not all that I would have wished, is a vast improvement over the status quo. I am grateful to my colleagues for passing this very critical piece of legislation. And I am determined to see that it is enacted into law before the end of this Congress. Mr. President, I yield the floor.

Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time and passed, as amended, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 763, S. 2438.

Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, there is an amendment at the desk, and I ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with.

Mr. GORTON

Mr. GORTON. I move to lay that motion on the table. The motion to lay on the table was agreed to.

Mr. GORTON

Mr. GORTON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that there now be a period for the transaction of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each.